A Bond Few Understand
by L.M. Avalon
Summary: Kagome's beloved cat Buyo must be put to sleep. She and Inuyasha are reminded that it was only a slim chance of fate that they met. AU. Oneshot.


A/N: This is a story that's been well-recieved by a lot of readers, which makes me unbelievably happy because this oneshot means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

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A Bond Few Understand

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There are a lot of bonds in life that few can understand. One, (don't laugh) is between a girl and her cat. Dogs are wonderful, especially the silver-haired and golden-eyed ones, but cats are different. There is just _something_ about the feline population that sets it apart. 

For one, they don't do silly tricks just for attention, yet somehow earn it anyway. They are sly, smart, and feather soft. When you're upset, like after a certain dog-boy insults you for absolutely no reason, a cat will listen as you rant and rave. There is nothing better to do on a rainy day than to curl up with a good book and your cat and read the hours away.

Although one cat was highly under-appreciated in the grand scheme of things, when he is gone, he will be missed. Without the lazy cat known as Buyo, two lives may never have been intertwined.

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'Stupid girl! Yesterday she said she'd be back by noon today! It's almost dinner time...' Inuyasha grumbled mentally. Colors and shapes flashed by the edge of his vision as he raced across the Sunset Shrine's grounds, the red fabric of his shirt flapping violently in the wind. Leaping from the ground, the boy landed lightly on the windowsill just outside Kagome's room. His bare feet were braced against the ledge as his shoulder maneuvered the window open. 

"You're late! I'm here to drag your ass back through the well. Shards are waiting," he growled as soon as he had stepped onto the carpet, one clawed hand still grasping the wooden trim to keep his balance. "Oi, bitch!" He yelled when she didn't respond with her usual excuses.

Instead of arguing, Kagome just sat there. She was perched right on the edge of her bed, staring into the air in front of her, her legs dangling limply over the side. At Inuyasha's questioning (and angry) tone, she slowly dragged her gaze to him without turning her head, looking at the steaming half-demon out of the corner of a teary eye.

Inuyasha leapt back once he could see what she was doing. His back pressed against the wall as if he was trying to phase through to get away. 'She's crying!' His gaping mind pointed out a little belatedly. He hated it when women cried, especially his best friend. It made him feel uncomfortable and nervous and guilty. Said guilt, at the moment, had him pinning his ears flat along his head. "K-Kagome?"

She moved her watery gaze away again. "Mama took Buyo to the vet today. You know, the pet doctor?" Kagome stated smoothly. Her voice was calm and indifferent, but he could smell the sorrow rolling off her in waves. "His obesity has caused some real bad heart problems... he's in a lot of pain." A stubborn tear forced its way out of an eye and made its way down her cheek, but she made no move to brush it away. "We have to put to him to sleep."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say, for once lacking a snappy comeback. What was wrong with letting an animal to take a nap when it was tired? If he was as fat as that lazy cat, he'd probably be exhausted after just walking to the water dish. He scowled at her profile, golden eyes scrutinizing her soaked cheeks and pink nose. Another thing he hated almost as much as crying was when Kagome made no sense-- at least less sense than she normally did. Like right then for example.

"Kagome, dear, the vet is here!" Mrs. Higurashi's voice floated up from downstairs. Inuyasha could easily hear the strain of her 'cheery' voice that her children would probably miss. Little did he know, the older woman had already done her own crying before deciding it was better to not mope over something that couldn't be prevented. Always a pillar of strength, the mother had put on a facade that offered support and comfort.

"Coming, Mama!" Kagome called back instantly. Standing up stiffly, she made her way to the bedroom door. Pausing at the opening, she looked back over her shoulder. "I'm going to hold Buyo when they do it," she told him, and then frowned at his scowl. "You don't know what "putting him to sleep" means do you? It means that I'm going to help kill my cat," she explained bluntly before walking through the doorway.

Inuyasha stared at her retreating back. Since when did sleep mean death? Apparently, it did today. Scowling even more than usual, the half-demon squatted down and leaned against the wall to wait for the girl's return.

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Kagome nodded to the man before kneeling down and picking up her pet, her bare knees digging into the carpet. Buyo instantly relaxed in her arms, and she cradled him to her chest, belly up. "It'll be over soon, Buyo," Kagome cooed to his calico head, a small hand stroking his back along the spine. She gently kissed the feather soft fur on his forehead, right between the multicolored ears, and motioned to the vet to continue. 

He looked the teenager in the eyes with pity and sorrow evident in his own. The man had long been used to this part of the job, but it never failed to move him to see a mourning owner. Taking out the first syringe, he slid the sterile needle into Buyo's soft belly. His thumb pressed the plunger in and introduced the clear drug into the cat's bloodstream. Kagome stroked Buyo's cool fur and the lazy cat gave into the impulse and was soon asleep, his breaths slow and even. She gently petted him some more as the vet brought out the second and final syringe. He administered the thick liquid; this time the syringe promised death and not just drug-induced sleep.

Kagome tightened her hold on her pet as the medicine did its job. Buyo's breathing soon began to slow even more; the time between the intake and release becoming longer. In mere moments, much too soon, the breaths stopped all together. She held him for a short while longer, kissing him one last time between the ears, her tears running down her cheeks and landing on his head, matting the fur together.

As the body began to grow cold and stiff, the vet took her dead pet away from her arms with the promise to return the animal's ashes. Kagome had wanted to keep them in a special glass jar in her room, something to remember him by; Buyo had been _her_ cat... not Souta's, or Jiisan's, or even Mama's. She was the one who had taken care of Buyo since he was a tiny kitten.

Kagome dragged herself slowly back up the stairs, a hand grabbing onto the banister a little too tightly to appear normal. Behind her, her mother and the vet discussed payment in hushed voices. A few steps later, she heard the dry _click_ of the front door shutting. Flinching, she leaned against the wall as her knees threatened to buckle. 

The announcement of the event and the actual taking place of it had been too close together. Losing a precious pet was like losing a member of the family-- things would never be the same without the fat feline.

Collapsing onto her bed, Kagome did her impression of a statue yet again. Stony faced, she glared at her wall and fought to keep a handle on her emotions. Her throat closed up and her eyes itched and she just couldn't do it anymore. Kagome's shoulders shook once, but her eyes stayed painfully dry. Unable to keep silent anymore, Inuyasha crept to his feet and eyed the frail girl. He scowled before opening his mouth to let loose a string of curses and questions, but snapped it shut when she opened her own.

"If-If B-Buyo-," A dry sob racked Kag's body as she tried to force what she wanted to say out without letting the tears escape, too. She had already cried and wasn't going to again if she could help it. She tried again. "If Buyo had never been here, I never would have met you, Inuyasha. Or Sango or Miroku or Shippou or Keade or Kirara or Kouga!" Kagome burst out, her hands flying to her eyes to cover them, trying to keep the tears at bay. She was fighting a losing battle.

Inuyasha cocked a questioning eyebrow, but decided against commenting on the Kouga bit. Chewing his cheek to keep from exploding in anger (it didn't seem to be the appropriate thing to do at the moment), he scowled and waited for Kagome to continue, almost patiently. It wasn't in his nature to keep quiet when he had something to say, but a small part of his mind demanded he keep his mouth shut until she had said her own part.

"If Buyo had never gotten lost on my fifteenth birthday, all those months ago, I never would have gone into the well house to find him. If I was never in there, Mistress Centipede never would have brought me through the Bone Eater's Well. I would have stayed a normal girl in Tokyo." Kagome rolled onto her side atop the covers while she explained, her eyes shut tightly. Exhaustion nibbled at her consciousness and grief battered against her will to stay awake. It would make it all go away if she fell asleep; it would let her escape the pain for a few dark hours.

'I'm glad I'm not just a normal girl in Tokyo...' she thought, welcoming sleep with open arms.

Inuyasha shook his head as he put one dirty foot up onto the window sill before glancing back at her again. "Three days. You have three days before I drag you back!" He threatened lamely. It was just too half-hearted to be taken seriously.

Kagome nodded and vaguely felt her cheek rub against her pillow. "See you soon, Inuyasha," she whispered sleepily, her voice hoarse from the held back sobs.

Inuyasha mumbled something very similar to "damn wolf"' before finally leaping out the second story window toward the rough earth outside. He hit the ground hard, his legs bending to lessen the impact, before he launched into a run. Inside, Kagome drifted off, tears eventually slipping past her barriers as she thought not only of her deceased cat, but also of the fate that had brought her to the Feudal Era. Buyo was gone and soon she'd have to return to her friends and second family in the past, to work on the Shikon no Tama. But for today, it would be okay if she took a break.

Inuyasha stood frowning and grumbling at the lip of the well. Bracing himself for the jump that would transport him back to his home, he looked down into the seemingly endless darkness. The memory of the beginning of his journey, the meeting of Kagome, hovered before his eyes.

Glancing back at the house one last time before diving in, he thought about the now dead cat. Buyo had been the only other cat besides Kirara that he'd ever semi-gotten along with.

'You may be a stinking, feline blooded beast, but-,'

"Thank You."

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**Dedicated to my own cat, Luther, who I had to put to sleep on February 25th, 2004.

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** THE END 


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